This past week, we brought our FLY Intention to The Earth as the world celebrated Earth Day on April 22nd. What a perfect opportunity to bring attention and gratitude to all of the glorious abundance around us in every given moment.

Our favorite way to both praise our beautiful environment and warm up the bodies is by Saluting The Sun: a thousand year old series of postures rich in history, mythical symbolism as well as physical benefits (Surya Namaskar). We love to Salute the Sun with our FLY Story Of Earth, which you can watch Haley lead here in our FLY Yoga Arts Episode 1 by subscribing to our newsletter HERE!

Once Upon A Time, there was a Planet called Earth,
Come back to Earth, kneeling down on the ground with hips reaching back to your heels, forehead on the ground and stretching the arms out long in front of you. (Balasana, Child’s Pose)

And Every Morning, the Sun would Rise,
Rise up on the knees and link your thumbs stretching the arms up overhead. Arch back gently and smile at the Sun!

And Every Night, it would trade places with the Moon.
Fold forward to bring your head to the ground, swinging the arms behind you and overhead. With the thumbs linked, enjoy a nice shoulder stretch.

When the Earth got Thirsty, it made Rivers to Rush,
Place the palms on the ground in front of you and jump back into a Plank position, lower down and pull the heart through your straight arms to arch your back and look up towards the sky with the tops of the feet on the floor and thighs lifted off the ground. Make a rushing river sound: Wooooosh! (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, Upward Facing Dog)

When the Earth got Lonely, it made Doggies to Play with,
Tuck the toes under and reach the hips up towards the sky, wagging your tail (bend the knees and wiggle the hips!) and barking like your inner doggie: Woooof Woof! (Adho Mukha Svanasana, Downward Facing Dog).

When it wanted to Touch the Sky, it made Mountains to Grow,
Look forward, bend the knees and HOP up between your hands. Stretch your arms out and up as you lengthen your legs to stand. (Tadasana, Mountain Pose).

When it wanted Fresh Air, it made Trees to Sway.
Ground down through your left foot and place the bottom of the right foot on your left, or inside the ankle, calf or thigh. When you feel grounded here like a tree, sway your arms from side to side. Switch legs! (Vrksasana, Tree Pose).

Then it Realized that all it really needed was Love,
Release the feet back down to the ground in Tadasana and give yourself a giant hug, wrapping the arms around the body.

So it made People to Care for it!
Smile!

And that’s the Story of Earth.
Come back down to Earth. (Balasana, Child’s Pose)

This is a sequence all of our FLYers know and love. Once you get familiar with the Flow, you can practice adding variations such as flowing fast, slow, backwards or with eyes closed. If you are practicing with a class, try it in a round!

This Earth Week, we took the opportunity to talk about The Story of Earth and what it means for us and our planet. Right here around us, we have everything we could ever need to be happy. Every morning, we are gifted with the Sun to wake us, warm us and illuminate our world. At night, we have a gorgeous Moon to bathe us in cool moonlight and lull us to sleep. When we are thirsty, we have rivers, oceans, lakes and ponds to drink from and bathe in. When we are lonely, we have the lush animal kingdom as our friends (like Man and Woman’s Best Friend, Dogs!). When we want climb and play and touch the sky, we have Mountains all over the Earth to ascend. Finally, we have wonderful Trees to bloom and sway and grant us with the fresh air that fills our bodies. And what is our role here on Earth, aside from partaking in all the glorious abundance around us? To Love! To love one another, and to care for this planet that gives us life, love and adventure.

What a wonderful way to start your day (or class!), with an energizing flow of postures and a reminder of both the tremendous gifts we have been given and the responsibility to care for and love it all.

Watch an Exclusive video of “The Story of Earth, led by our Creator, Haley Dawn, and you Sign up for The FLY Side, our free bimonthly newsletter bringing practice, play and peace to your home and community. FLY for You!